


The Addison Mystery

by Gears_n_shears



Category: sallyface - Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-07 06:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20305033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gears_n_shears/pseuds/Gears_n_shears
Summary: After discovering all of the tenants of Addison Apartments have been brutally murdered except for one, Sal gets help from Larry and Todd to figure out who killed everyone and why.





	1. The Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> There is some language and mild violence in this story. There’s no shipping in it either. (Sorry, shippers! You can ship in your imagination, though!) this is also my first fanfic ever so pls go easy on me. I also have this up on FanFiction.net which I’m currently updating. There are some slight variations in the wording but it’s still the same story

Ch. 1 

The Discovery

It was Larry’s last day at the hospital. He had just recovered from an overdose of alcohol and pills. He vaguely remembered what had happened. He was having a depression spell and decided to end it all. He remembered the text he sent to Sal saying goodbye. The pill box. The beer. Darkness. If Sal hadn’t got to him in time, Larry’s attempt would have worked. 

Larry heard a knock on his door. Sal poked his head in. “Hi, Larry.” Sal’s eyes smiled brightly. “Hey Bluejay,” said Larry. Bluejay had become Sal’s nickname over the years. Sal didn’t mind it at all. “Excited about leaving this place?” He asked. “Hell yeah dude, I couldn’t stand this room for much longer.” replied Larry. Sal laughed. 

“When do you get out?” He asked. 

“As soon as these doctors run a final checkup on me which should be pretty soon.”

Sal nodded his head. “Want to meet up at the apartment? We can play a new video game I got for my GearBoy.” Larry’s face brightened. “That sounds radical dude.” “Good. I’ll see you when you’re done then. I’ll have the game set up by then.” Sal left and closed the door. Larry was once again left alone in his room. He looked up at the ceiling and noticed a crack in the corner. Hm, Larry thought. Needs to be fixed. 

The sky was cobalt blue and the clouds were like big balls of cotton floating above the Earth. It was beautiful. Sal was happy his friend and stepbrother was coming home today. He opened the door to the lobby of Addison Apartments and went inside. No one was at the front desk. Weird. Maybe they’re on a lunch break? Thought Sal. Even still there would be someone there. Sal shook his head and went to the elevator. There was a strange feeling in the air. A feeling of quiet and aloneness. Again, Sal figured it was probably just an off day. After all, Larry was in the hospital for nearly a month and was returning today. 

The elevator doors opened. To Sal’s discomfort, that feeling of being alone had followed him. He stepped out into the hallway. “Hello?” He called out. That was a silly thing to do. He knew everyone was on this floor. His dad, Lisa also his new mom, Todd, Chug and Maple and their daughter Soda. Why had he called out? Sal went to open his door when he noticed a peculiar stain coming from under it. Blood? Or wine? He hoped it was wine. Sal pushed open the door and nearly screamed his lungs out. He could see the limp figures if his dad and Lisa on the couch. The tv was still on, illuminating their lifeless faces. Sal went weak in the knees. He looked around wildly to see if anyone heard him. No one. Sal ran down the hall and threw open the doors of each resident like a madman to see if they were there. To his horror, everyone on that floor was slaughtered. Sal wandered back to his place. “No, this can’t be happening.” He felt dizzy. There was one last door he hadn’t opened. Chugs place. He prepared himself to see the family of three crumpled on the floor. Sal took a deep breath and pushed the door open. He was 2/3 correct. There was Maple and Chug as he had imagined. But Soda was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, he heard a floorboard creak. Someone was still alive? Maybe it’s the culprit. 

Sal followed the sound to what had to be Soda’s room. It was a mess. Curtains were torn. The dresser was tipped over. Toys were scattered everywhere. “Soda?” He called out, softly. If she was alive, he didn’t want to scare her. “Soda, it me. Uncle Sal. Where are are you sweetie?” Sure enough, Soda crawled out from under her bed. She wasn’t hurt, just badly shaken. “Uncle Sal? Why aren’t you hiding? He’ll come back!” Sal picked her up and cradled her in his arms. “Shh it’s ok. No one is gonna come back. I promise,” he cooed. “You’re ok now.” He. That narrows it down a little bit. The culprit was a male. Sal took Soda down past the lobby and and to the front steps of the apartment. How was he going to explain this to Larry? His mom was...

Sal saw a shock of orange hair coming towards him. It was Todd. He was out at the arcade all morning. “Hiya Sal! Hey Soda! What’s wrong? You two look awful.” Sal looked up at Todd with tears beginning to fill his pale blue eyes. “You...you had better not go inside. Something happened to our floor.” Todd cocked his to the side. “Huh? What do you mean? If something’s wrong, I’m going to check it out.” Todd was true to his word. He always was. It annoyed Sal sometimes. 

A few minutes later, Todd came back. His face as white as Sal’s mask. “Sal,” he said quietly, “it’s not just our floor. It’s EVERYONE in Addison Apartments”.


	2. An Impossibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys find a clue and an impossibility

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok this chapter is a tad short in length but it’s an important one! I’m happy some of you like this first chapter already! 
> 
> Also, I think I should have mentioned this in the first chapter. This story takes place in the fall and the guys are all college aged.

Sal, Todd, Larry and Soda stayed in a motel two blocks away from the apartment. The police wanted them to be near in case they needed to question them. Larry was still in shock after hearing about his mom. So where Todd and Sal. Soda was having a mental block and kept asking where her parents were. “Where’s mommy?” She asked. “Where’s daddy?” She wouldn’t stop asking for two hours straight. It was getting on Larry’s nerves. “Would someone make that kid shut up?” He growled. Sal shot him a look. Todd decided to take Soda for a walk through the park. Sal was secretly thankful she was going to be absent for a few hours. While he loved her as if she were his daughter, there were times when she got too invasive and annoying. 

“Wanna go for a walk?” He asked Larry. “Yeah. I need a breath of fresh air.” The two friends went down the block. They both stopped at the door to the apartment. Sal started to briskly walk past the grim building when Larry grabbed him by his shirt. “Hold it, dude,” he said. Larry bent down and picked something up. It was a cross pendant. Like the kind from a rosary. Sal looked at it. “So it’s a cross. So what?” Nether one of them were very religious. They didn’t buy into the idea that a deity could be the cause and effect of everything. “Dude, it’s not just a cross. It’s Travis’s cross.” Sal’s jaw almost dropped to the ground. “That’s impossible, Larry. He’s on some mission somewhere.” Larry looked at the pendant in his hand. “Yeah, but people don’t always do what they appear to do.” Sal knew he was right. Especially when dealing with mysteries. “Too much TV” was Larry’s excuse. But Sal wondered sometimes. 

After their walk, they went back to the motel. By then, Soda and Todd came back. They all had dinner together and Todd was filled in on Larry’s discovery. Todd was a bit skeptical about the whereabouts of Travis. He knew how big a religious nut he was and just couldn’t agree that Travis had abandoned his mission to come back home. “It’s not like him to do this,” he said. “Travis is so devoted to his job that he’d rather commit sepuku* than leave his work behind. Sal agreed with Todd. There was no way Travis was at the apartment. Soda let out a small yawn. It was getting late. Larry stood up. “Well I dunno about you but I’m bushed. I’m gonna hit the sack.” He crashed on the couch. Todd took the floor with s pillow and blanket. Sal would have joined them if Soda wasn’t scared to be by herself. He decided to sleep with her in the only bed in the only bedroom. Soon, everyone was fast asleep. 

*sepuku: an ancient Japanese tradition in which samurai who had brought dishonor on themselves and/or their family kill themselves by falling on top of their sword thus impaling themselves.


	3. The Chase Diaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After going through the personal items of a friend, Sal, Larry, Todd and Soda go to the apartment for a quick look around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took a while to complete. Life happens. I’ll probably be posting the following chapters on the weekends, say either Saturday or Sunday as a schedule. If it’s not up by Saturday then it’ll be up the next day.

The next morning was stoic. Not exactly miserable, but considering the recent circumstances who could blame the mood? Todd sat in the kitchen sorting out the personal stuff of Soda’s parents. “Paper clips, keychains, extra house key,” he mumbled to himself. “Geez, didn’t they have anything personal?” Just then, Sal stumbled in. His hair resembled a blue mop. Mask in hand, Sal shuffled over to the coffee maker and made a pot. “Hey Todd, whatcha doin?” “Just going through Chug’s things. Almost done.” Todd shuffled up the papers he was looking at and went to put it back in its box. “Missed one,” said Sal. Todd picked up a small paper folded in half. “Huh, haven’t seen this one before.” Todd opened it up. 

It was an entry from a journal. Written by Chug apparently. “What’s it say?” asked Sal, pouring himself a cup of fresh coffee. Todd read it aloud. 

“Nov. 2. That bastard priest came back today. He asked me if Soda was well and if I decided to finally “cleanse your soul in His house”. I told him I wouldn’t go to his church if it were the last one on Earth! I told him to leave or I’d call the cops on him for harassment. He just laughed in my face! He said no one would suspect him because he’s so “holy”. Holy my ass. Travis thinks he’s so great because people respect his position. Well, he’d better think again. He ought to”

The entry stopped mid sentence. Todd’s eyes began to water. November 2 was two days ago. The murder was two days ago. These were his last words. Sal walked to the table and put his hand on his shoulder. “Hey, you alright?” he asked, softly. Todd shoved the paper away. Sal picked it up. “Travis went to see him?” “Yea. He said Travis wouldn’t leave him alone. He kept going after Chug for not going to church on Sundays.” Sal thought for a moment. Just then, Larry and Soda walked in. Soda sat at the table as Larry fixed up some cereal. “Hey guys, what’s up?” 

“Look what we found,” said Sal. “Chugs last journal entry.” “Woah dude, I didn’t know he kept a diary. What’s it say?” asked Larry. “Basically, he gave us a clue. He points out that Travis visited him on the day of the murder. And it wasn’t a very nice conversation.” Sal said. Larry’s jaw dropped. “For real? That creep?” Sal nodded. “Watcha lookin at?” asked Soda. “Just looking at some grownup stuff.” said Todd. “Oh” said Soda. 

Sal thought for a moment. “I think we should go back to the apartment to see if he actually came back.Those in favor of going to the apartment and looking around, raise your hand.” Larry, Soda and Todd raised their hands.

Later that night, the three friends went to the apartment. Soda came along too under the notion that they were going on a treasure hunt. After scanning the first and second floors, all were giving up hope. Sal suggested they all try the third floor and that if they didn’t find anything, they would stop for the night. It was an agreeable deal and they pressed on. 

On the third floor, the friends decided to split up. Sal with Todd, and Larry with Soda. Sal and Todd went into the room of Mr. Addison himself. The room was unexpectedly bare. Aside from the few wires connecting the wall to a phone and a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. “Huh. So much for home decor.” said Todd. Sal laughed. It was his first laugh since that awful day. Todd suddenly felt uneasy. “Sal, do you feel like someone is watching us?” Sal looked at him, somewhat confused. “No, not particularly.” “Oh...” Sal could see he was getting nervous. Todd was mostly a computer nerd. Not an amateur sleuth. “It’s ok, if there is someone, I’ll scare em away with my face.” Sal joked. Todd laughed. Suddenly, the door behind them slammed shut. Todd yelped. Sal ran to the door and tried the knob. “It...it’s locked!” He banged on the door and called out. “Hey!!! Larry! Help! The door is locked! Let us out!” Todd opened the mail slot in the door and yelled through it. “Help us!! Hey! Larry!!!” Larry and Soda were at the opposite side of the floor and couldn’t hear the cries for help. Larry was occupied searching the room of the college students. He kinda liked those guys. They always had the best drinks. Drink. He could use one right now. Larry noticed the kitchen table was full of bags of chips, napkins, and the infamous red solo cups. Two unopened stacks. They must have been in the process of planning another party. Larry was about to leave when he noticed the trash can. Laying on top of everything was a pamphlet. It wasn’t what was designed on it that caught his attention. It was the words. “God is Salvation.” Hmph. That phrase wasn’t much help now. Larry turned to leave the room when he noticed Soda was missing. “Where’d she run off to?” Larry asked himself. Shoot. This was a big apartment and people could get lost easily in here. “Soda!” he called. He was about to run down the hall when he found her, crouched on the ground. Apparently looking at something. “Jesus, Soda! Don’t run off like that. You scared me!” Larry scolded. “Sorry Uncle Larry,” she said apologetically.


	4. Chase diaries part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Larry and Soda discover something interesting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have returned from a forever long hiatus! Actually I’ve come back from major writers block. Hope I can finish this story before next year!

Larry and Soda found themselves in a room that looked like someone had just moved in... or moved out. Larry couldn’t tell. He walked over to a corner and knelt down. He picked up an elongated piece of paper and read the gothic print. “God is salvation”. Larry blinked twice. Was he just imagining this? It was the same pamphlet he found in the college apartment. Soda knelt down beside him. “What is it?” Larry showed her the pamphlet. Her eyes widened. “Hey! That looks like the book Mr. P has.” Larry looked at her with his head tilted. “Mr...P? Who’s that, Soda?” 

“He gives those little books out to everyone on Sundays!” 

“Sunday’s...”

“Yup!”

Larry felt like he had swallowed a rock. Mr. P who gives out books on Sundays could only be one person, and he didn’t have the heart to tell Soda what he thought. 

Larry’s musing was interrupted when Soda began to tug him backward. “Uncle Larry! I hear shouting!” Larry sprang up. He heard the faint yells of Sal and Todd. “Crap, they’re in trouble! C’mon Soda! Race you to the end of the hallway!” 

They ran to the room where Sal and Todd were trapped. Larry was pounding at the door. “Hang in there Blue! I’m gonna try to break it down!” Larry took a few steps back and rammed into the door. No good. He tried again. The door began to crack at its hinges. His third attempt was a little too successful. He burst through the door, wood chips flying, and landed on top of Sal in a rather curious formation. “Um... hey there, Blue.” Sal started to push up. “Get up, Larry, your ass is crushing me!” 

Todd straightened his glasses. “Language! There’s a child present!” Larry turned to apologize to Soda, but to his surprise, she wasn’t there. “Soda?” The three boys burst into the hallway. All of them were frantic. “Soda?” called Todd. He wasn’t much of a yeller as he soon found out. “Soda!” yelled Sal, who’s voice took Larry by surprise. How could such a loud noise come from a tiny thing like Sal? “Soda!” boomed Larry. No doubt, Larry’s outdoor voice was much louder than his friends. To everyone’s fear, there was no answer. “Should we split up?” asked Todd, nervously. “After what we just went through? I don’t think so.” said Sal. “We go together.” said Larry. They started scanning the floor for Soda. Larry, Todd and Sal walked briskly down a hallway they didn’t examine. It was dimly lit and looked like it should have been in a horror movie. Sal tried the first door on the right. It opened. “Soda?” He called. No answer. “She isn’t here,” he said. “If anything happens to her-“ “Dude, it’ll be ok. We’ll find her.” said Larry. The boys opened every apartment door in that hallway and called for little Soda. By the time Todd got to the last door, with no luck, Larry gathered everyone for a meeting.


	5. The Facts and Weapons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Larry tells about the clue. The boys finally know where to look.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. I hope I finish this soon! There’s a surprise ending too!

Larry began to speak. “Guys, I think I know who took her.” Sal and Todd looked at him in disbelief. Before Todd could say anything, Larry continued. “ Earlier, when we split up, Soda and I found a nearly empty room with huge stacks of... these.” He pulled out the pamphlet that he stuffed in his pocket. “Anyone recognize it?” Todd’s jaw dropped. “That’s the same thing that came in my mail the day of the murder!”  
“S-same here.” stammered Sal.   
“Well take a look at where it was sent from.” Larry said. The three huddled together to get a look at the address. “It’s from Saint John’s church!” said Sal. “Yeah.” said Larry. The three boys looked at each other. Todd spoke softly. “Are you guys thinking what I’m thinking?” The two nodded in the affirmative. “Well let’s go!” Todd said.

By the time they went outside, it was raining. None of them had raincoats or umbrellas so they had to run. Saint John’s Parish was a tiny church at the end of the street. It had a simple design and looked somewhat inviting. The inside was a different story. The walls and ceiling were dusty and covered in cobwebs. The owner of the place was none other than Travis Phelps. His apparent reason for not cleaning the place was that “if they were there, God must want them there.” So, he didn’t touch it. 

The boys made it to the church and closed the door behind them. They didn’t dare shout in case the kidnapper was around. Neither Sal or Larry were very good at attending church on Sundays. They had no idea where to look. To them, the place they were in was the entire church. Todd on the other hand, knew there was more to the building that meets the eye. “Let’s try that door by the alter.” he whispered. Larry and Sal strained to see the door but all they saw was dark brown wood that was intricately detailed. Todd led both of them by the hand. He opened the door and pointed to the hallway. “This door!” They crept through the hallway and found various doors leading to other rooms. Some were too dark to see into, but they tapped on the windows in case Soda was there. Unfortunately there was no answer.


End file.
